WEDDING INFORMATION

GETTING MARRIED IN THE CHURCHES OF THE AVON VALLEY PARTNERSHIP Breamore, Fordingbridge, Godshill, Hale, Sandleheath, Woodgreen and Hyde

We are committed to helping you plan and enjoy your wedding service, and to ensuring that the service takes place smoothly for you and for your guests. The priest who will be taking your wedding will help you in every way possible and guide you through all the preparations. If you have any questions at any stage in the process please contact the Church Office on 01425 653163.

You may be married in any one of the Churches in our Team licensed for Weddings eg Breamore, Fordingbridge, Hale and Hyde

Banns & Wedding Licence If you live in our area, you will be married after the calling of banns: your names are read out at a church service and the congregation are asked if they know of any legal reason why you are unable to get married. We will let you know when your banns are going to be read so that you can be there to hear them. You may well have strong reasons for choosing a particular church, but do consider one of the other churches in our team as a possible venue for your wedding. You might like to visit them to see inside (they are open during the day), or attend a service on a Sunday to get the feel of them in action. The church office can let you know the times of services.

If one of you lives outside this team area, you’ll need to arrange with the vicar in that parish to have your banns called there. We will arrange for them to be called here. If you both live outside our team area but have a close link with this parish or its churches, you can come onto the church electoral roll, which involves attending services for a period. There are other circumstances, for example if one of you is a non-UK citizen, which mean that instead of banns a licence is required. We can advise you about this. If you have been married before and live in our area or have a particular link with our churches, you are very welcome to marry here. Choice of Service We will give you copies of the forms of wedding service so that you can choose which you would like. The priest marrying you will give you the details, and will help you too with ideas for readings, prayers and hymns. Also, the priest can advise you about the printed order of service, if you want to use one.

Bells Fordingbridge has a team of eight bells and Breamore four. These can be rung before the service begins as your guests arrive and after the service as you leave the church.

Photographs and Videos If you are videoing your wedding, you will need a licence for the music copyright and we enclose details of how you can obtain this. We also enclose an information sheet about photography and videos during the service for your photographer and / or video operator. If you are using a professional video operator, there may be additional fees to pay to the musicians.

Flowers To discuss the flower arrangements for your wedding please refer to the list below and contact the person responsible for flowers in the church in which you are getting married, even if you are asking a member of your family, a friend or a commercial florist to arrange the flowers.

Fees & Donations Three months before your wedding you will be sent an invoice for the fees. Please pay this to the Church Office as soon as possible and no later than one month prior to the service. You can also, if you wish, make a donation towards the work and ministry of our churches. If so, you might want to gift aid any donation to make it tax efficient (details will be on the invoice). A list of fees is given below.

Confetti We are very happy for your guests to shower you with confetti after your wedding at all our churches!

Parking At Breamore, parking is available by the church and in the visitors’ car park for Breamore House. At Hale, your guests are asked to use the church car park, but please avoid parking on the grass. At Fordingbridge, as well as the parking behind the church hall opposite the church, there is parking in the field south of the church – follow the signs!

Disabled Access The churches at both Breamore and Hale have full wheelchair access. The south door at St Mary’s Fordingbridge is wheelchair accessible and the north door has portable ramps for wheelchair access. All three churches are fitted with an induction loop for people who use hearing aids. Hale Church and St Mary’s Fordingbridge also have accessible toilets. Large print hymn books are available, but you might find it easier to produce some larger print copies of your order of service if required.

Contact Information The Church Office in Fordingbridge can help with all enquiries or put you in touch with the right person. Church Office 01425 653163 or [email protected]